Moving Day!

Today, Monday, June 20, 2016, was the day the house moved from 511 N. Main Street. Everything went well and it was moved from one spot to the other, traveling about 3 blocks, in 1 hour and 3 minutes. Many thanks to the Ameren utility workers and the Village workers who assisted. There are video clips at the bottom of today's entry.

Ready to roll. A local farmer did the pulling duty. Here, we pull from the parking lot onto the street.

Onto the street and ready for the first turn north onto Main Street. Ameren crews were waiting to raise wires.

Wires lifted, the house moves through.

A bit of a squeeze onto Grand Avenue to go one block east to 3rd Street.

Our tractor driver followed Bert's direction and did a little zig-zag dance to slide between trees.

Headed back south on 3rd Street.

Homeowners Joel and Laura ride on the front porch.

Maneuvering between trees was a little tricky on 3rd. Despite trimming that was done in preparation, we brushed some limbs. A bit of roofing was scuffed up, two downspouts brushed, off, but no major issues with trees or the house.

Turning from 3rd onto the lot beside our basement hole.

The house will spend a couple of days parked beside the basement. Bert will now build up wooden piers in the basement and under the house, put I-beams running from under the house to over the basement hole, and then roll the house over the hole. (Similar to rolling the house off the old foundation.) Then, he will form up and pour the basement walls and then set the house down. At that point, the beams will be removed and the house will be on its new foundation. Then, the wooden piers will be removed from the basement and the floor will be poured.

And....some video clips.

Pulling out of the lot where the house was parked. Ameren utility guys were on hand to deal with power lines. In transit, the house was just under 30 feet to the peak of the roof.

 

Our route changed a little bit on the morning of the move, but it worked out. Our tractor driver did a good job following Bert's directions to maneuver the house between trees and other obstacles.

Neighbors, community members, friends, family, and the local press turned out to watch the move. Joel and Laura decided to ride on the porch for part of the trip, and their friend's son got to ride along.

This is the view from the road, nearer to the house.

 Negotiating the pine trees and "How's it going, Bert?"

There's an empty lot beside the house's new location. It will rest there for a couple of days before moving over the basement hole. Here we turn in from the street to the lot. But we had one little mailbox in the way for a minute...